J. L. Black

This book presents a comprehensive survey of the current state of Russia and how Russia is likely to develop in the immediate future. Not always sticking to the mainstream narrative, it covers political events including Putin’s constitutional reforms of January 2020 and their likely consequences, economic developments, Russia’s international relations and military activities, and changes and issues in Russian society, including in education, the place of women, health care and religion. Special attention is paid to manifestations of the COVID-19 pandemic. The book’s overall conclusion is that events of 2020 may compel Putin to ‘think again’ before he decides whether to run for office in 2024.

Looking Ahead after Two Decades of Putin

Russia after 2020

J. L. Black's latest work is a rich and carefully crafted attempt to expose the textures of Russia's perceptions of itself and its place in the world. Based almost entirely on Russian sources, J. L. Black found himself returning to the old practice of citing and decoding feature items from the Russian press. The difference between then and now, of course, is that at that time there was the struggle to read between the lines while now he reads and tries to digest the lines themselves-the Russian press still provides a very good indication of prevailing moods within the political and military elite establishments of Moscow. It is also still evident that if we are to understand Russian foreign policy-making, we must attempt to view international situations through the prism of Russian analysts and officials. Only then can we draw conclusions based on both our and their perceptions of current events and visions for the future. Vladimir Putin and the New World Order is divided into two parts. The first is a chronologically organized story of Putin's efforts to find a niche for Russia in the world since his sudden appointment as acting president at the end of December 1999. Throughout, Black places great emphasis on the sequence of events to illustrate important patterns; for example, Putin's tendency to make dramatic overtures to the East as preparation for negotiations with the West. The book's second part focuses on Russia's attention to specific regions of the world and types of international activity. These include individual countries, such as China and Ukraine; regions like Central Asia and the Caucasus; integrative agencies, including the CIS; concepts and practices, among them matters of security and military reform; and the ambivalent Russian associations with so-called 'rogue' states.

Looking East, Looking West?

Vladimir Putin and the New World Order

Michael Johns

This book examines the crisis in Ukraine, tracing its development and analysing the factors which lie behind it. It discusses above all how the two sides have engaged in political posturing, accusations, escalating sanctions and further escalating threats, arguing that the ease with which both sides have reverted to a Cold War mentality demonstrates that the Cold War belief systems never really disappeared, and that the hopes raised in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union for a new era in East-West relations were misplaced. The book pays special attention to the often ignored origins of the crisis within Ukraine itself, and the permanent damage caused by the fact that Ukrainians are killing Ukrainians in the eastern parts of the country. It also assesses why Cold War belief systems have re-emerged so easily, and concludes by considering the likely long-term ramifications of the crisis, arguing that the deep-rooted lack of trust makes the possibility of compromise even harder than in the original Cold War.

Ukraine, The West and Russia

The Return of the Cold War

Alanda D. Theriault

This book describes and analyzes the source and nature of the phenomena that characterize new world disorder. These include domestic political crises with international consequences, disruptive regions, terrorism, climate change, deglobalization, and exponentially growing refugee movements.

J. L. Black

About

Books

Join the club